Storage Calculator Notes:

Industry average sizes are used for each item – your actual items may be bigger (or smaller).

This is calculated in Cubic Feet, so you’ll need to keep that in mind when considering the unit size you’d need. With a ceiling height of 8′, you can divide the calculated total by 8 to get a rough idea of the square footage required, but the reality is a lot trickier than that: remember that not everything you have can be neatly stacked (assuming you have a variety of typical household items, and not just a bunch of 2’x’2’x2′ boxes).

Consider how much time you’ll want to spend playing “real life Tetris” to optimize space usage. As fun as it can be doing so, you should probably do that when loading a moving truck, not when loading your storage unit – if you pack everything in tight and “optimal,” you’ll inevitably need to retrieve something from storage a month later, only to find it buried and inaccessible.

You’ll also likely want to allow yourself some room to maneuver and a walkway through your items to reach items in the back and on the sides.